NEW YORK – US President Donald Trump has declared that Washington will assume control of Venezuela following a sweeping US military operation that he said resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, marking one of the most dramatic escalations in US–Latin America relations in decades.
Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago residence hours after explosions rocked Caracas, Trump said the United States would administer Venezuela until what he described as a “safe, proper and judicious” political transition is achieved.
“The United States of America has successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolás Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the country,” Trump said in a statement posted on his Truth Social platform.
He went on to describe the operation as unprecedented in scale and effectiveness.
“This was one of the most stunning, effective and powerful displays of American military might and confidence in American history,” Trump said. “The last time you saw something of this severity was during World War II.”
‘We will run the country’
Trump said Washington would temporarily take charge of Venezuela’s governance, arguing that US intervention was necessary to restore peace, order and justice.
“We will run the country until Venezuela is safe, stable and properly governed,” he said. “We want peace, liberty and justice for the great people of Venezuela.”
According to Trump, Maduro and Flores were extracted by helicopter from a heavily fortified residence before being transferred to a US naval vessel and later flown out of the country. He said the couple had already been indicted in the Southern District of New York.
“They were caught in a ready position,” Trump said. “They knew we had ships at sea. They were prepared, but they were completely overwhelmed and incapacitated very quickly.”
Trump claimed that no US service members were killed and that no American military equipment was lost during the operation.
Military operation and regional build-up
Venezuelan authorities said the attack was carried out by elite US forces, including Delta Force units, and involved coordinated air, land and sea strikes. The government in Caracas condemned the operation as an “imperialist assault,” declared a nationwide state of emergency and urged citizens to mobilise in defence of the country.
The operation follows months of heightened US military activity in the Caribbean, including the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, alongside several warships and surveillance assets.
In recent weeks, Washington has also seized oil tankers, intercepted dozens of boats allegedly carrying narcotics, and struck what Trump described as key drug-loading dock facilities.
The US administration has repeatedly accused Maduro’s government of links to major drug trafficking networks, including the Cartel de los Soles and the Tren de Aragua, alleging that Venezuela has become a major conduit for cocaine and fentanyl entering the United States.
Charges and oil interests
Trump said Maduro and Flores face charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, and weapons offences involving machine guns and destructive devices.
He also openly linked the intervention to Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, signalling a major role for US energy companies.
“We’re going to have our very large US oil companies — the biggest in the world — go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken oil infrastructure and start making money for the country,” Trump said. “And we are ready to stage a second, much larger attack if we need to.”
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who appeared alongside Trump, said the operation demonstrated America’s ability to project power globally.
“America can project its will anywhere, anytime,” Hegseth said. “The coordination, the stealth, the lethality, the precision — the very long arm of American justice — was on full display in the middle of the night.”
International backlash grows
Governments around the world reacted with alarm, with South Africa among those issuing a strong condemnation. Pretoria said the US action constituted a grave violation of international law and a direct breach of the United Nations Charter.
South Africa’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation said the attack undermined the rules-based international order and the principle of state sovereignty.
“International law does not permit external military intervention in the domestic affairs of sovereign states,” the department said, warning that history shows such invasions often deepen instability rather than resolve political crises.
“Unlawful, unilateral use of force of this nature undermines the stability of the international system and the equality of nations,” the statement added.
As diplomatic pressure mounts and global markets react nervously, uncertainty continues to surround the situation in Venezuela, with fears growing that the US declaration of control could trigger wider regional instability and a prolonged international crisis.
